The Parton Tuck Shop has been quietly feeding people throughout the pandemic.

It is organised and managed by Jules Huck but with the support of husband Rob, a former school teacher who says community mindedness is an entire family trait.

“Jules is the organiser,” he says. “She has been helping the community for as far back as I can recall. In fact I do remember that, after the shooting in the school in Dunblane, she organised an afternoon tea and raised money which the head teacher used to buy the children and staff at the school an ice cream each.”

He said daughters Nici and Kirsty all share the gene. Both have run the London Marathon for charity, with Nici doing the virtual run in Keswick last year.

Rob was a school teacher for 57 years, with 51 of those in Whitehaven.

“One of the things we did was to organise a 20-mile walk for charity every year.

“I can remember the year that we raised £11,000 for the palliative care ward at the West Cumberland Hospital. Students thought they were just going to see old people and were shocked when they saw young ones, including a boy of just nine. It made them think about what they were doing for their community.”

Rob’s role in the Huck Tuck Shop, according to him, is to lift, carry and do whatever Jules requires.

But she says she could not carry on without him – and he has carried on even after hurting his back lugging trays of food around. The tuck shop is a place where people can go and collect groceries for a donation. But mainly it is discreetly feeding those who need it because of the pandemic or other circumstances.

“You get to know the people. We know of one man with a dog, for instance, so you always make sure there is dog food in his tray.”

Although Jules is organiser and baker and cook, the Hucks are not the only ones working for the community: “I had a former pupil walked by. When she saw what we were doing she offered to help.”

The supermarkets have been great at donating food and there are others who are preparing meals or donating, which helps the Hucks with other schemes such as providing meals to the homeless shelter.

The tuck shop is closed until mid-June but they’ll be back.